Keita Sano

Error EP

New York coterie Sheik ‘N’ Beik line up the next 12” in a string of successful releases including Legowelt & Xosar under their now defunct Xamiga guise, Jeffrey Scott and label owner Rechulski. Enlisted for their 7th record is the Japan based Mister Saturday Night and 1080P affiliate Keita Sano.

With a strong affinity to analogue sound and old school audio processing, Sano renders personal mind-maps in his work - eclectic and off-kilter productions shot-through with warmth and propelled by potent drums. His latest offering for Sheik ‘N’ Beik is one fans old and new will relish: a series of 4 warped excursions showcasing Sano’s refined and idiosyncratic studio techniques.

‘Bypass Motion’ kicks things off with a fizzing 909 and a loose-limbed bass pattern set churning under brisk, steely atmospheres. Dense in the low-end, ‘Child’s Play’ then follows up with a hard-nosed groove carried by horror-movie sweeps and distant computerised vocals.

Digital exclusive ‘DRTSY’ then packs in washed drums set to an arresting, pacy groove alongside haunting vocal builds and melodic, filtered bubbles. ‘Mixing Error’ then sets a staggered kick pattern spearing through a rich fog of tape noise that gathers with it thick pads and distant, menacing synth tones that generate a capacious sense of space and close off another fine addition to Sheik ‘N’ Beik’s blooming catalogue.